Sharing the Journey

Monday, July 17, 2017

I
have noticed some changes in my Pursuit of God that I thought I’d share with my
fellow sojourners. I would like to know if anyone else has noticed such a
change or transition in their own pursuit.

When
I first came to Christ I was living a pretty wild and free life style. Granted,
if comparing myself to the world I wasn’t too bad. But we’re to compare
ourselves to Christ which put me in the “wretched” category. My acceptance of
Him as personal Savior was therefore more a pursuit of Protection or, as some would say, fire insurance than anything else.
Simply put, I didn’t want to go to hell. I was living in south Georgia at that
time and I knew I simply did not want to go to anyplace hotter than that!

Over
time, in and out of church, I began to take my relationship with Christ more
seriously. I was ready to now allow Him to be Lord as well as Savior of my
life. I began to be more frequent in church
and more involved in ministry. I was looking to make some things happen in my
life and I heard Jesus was the way. I heard a preacher suggest we confess, “I
am out of debt with every need met; I have more to put in store; I am blessed
to be a blessing!” Amen! I like that. Out of debt. Every need met. Sign me up. My
pursuit of God became a pursuit of Presents
or the blessings of God.

Here
recently, however, I’ve noticed a change. I’ve finally BEGUN to cross over into
what I call the third “P” of pursing
God and that’s His Presence. I’ve
finally come to a place where I just want Jesus. Don’t get it twisted though. I
still want His Protection. I have
absolutely no intention of going to hell. I figure it wasn’t created for me so
no need for me to crash the party. I will also continue to welcome and be
grateful for His Presents. I’ve
learned material possessions are good in the good they allow me to do but not in
and of themselves. But most importantly, I’ve learned that nothing, and I mean
absolutely NO THING can compare to the sweet Presence of God. Even when I can’t feel Him (which is like liquid
sunshine running through your veins – not my words but very accurate) to KNOW
He’s there with me keeps peace in my heart. When I’m going through, I know I’m
not going through alone. When weapons are formed against me I don’t worry but
IN it all, I praise Him because I know that weapon shall not prosper.

So
what about you, fellow sojourner? Which “P”
of pursuit do you find yourself at? This is a no judgement zone. God loves us
all the same whether we’re still pursuing for protection or have determined to
pursue for His presence. So long as you’re pursing. you’re in the right
place.

Saturday, April 29, 2017

Each morning I get an email from the ministry of Pastor Joseph Prince
that includes a scripture to meditate on and a devotional reading. This
morning’s scripture was from Romans 8:1 (NASB), “There
is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” It’s a scripture I’d read many times. I’d even
memorized it (though admittedly I hadn’t learned the address.) But this
morning was different. This morning I didn’t just get motivation; I received
revelation.

The few of you
who follow my blog know that my posts are sporadic at best. That’s because I
had been under self-imposed condemnation. I felt like my writings weren’t
good enough. There was little to no feedback so I began to think they weren’t
blessing enough people. I kept wanting to do more for the Kingdom, to be more
for God. I wanted to live out my calling and hear Him say, “Well done, thou
good and faithful servant!” I felt as if I was failing.

I knew in my head
that those fears or concerns were not of God. Yes, He wants me to fulfill the
call He has placed on my life – through Christ. Yes, He wants me to make an
impact in this world for His kingdom. Yes, He wants me to speak a word in
season to him that is weary. But I was
slothful and slow and sometimes just downright disobedient. Each day I’d
repent determined to do better the next day. But I’d end up remembering all
that I am not and beat myself up. I was rendered ineffective.

But each day, I
also pleaded with God to not give up on me. I knew, I know, He has a plan for
me – plans for my good and not disaster, to give me a future and hope. I know
I can do all things through Christ who give me strength. I also know that He
who has begun a good work in me will perform it until the day of Jesus
Christ. I know all of this – in my head. I needed it to get down into my
inmost parts, into my heart, into my spirit. I needed the Words of God
concerning me and His love for me to permeate every part of me. Then and only
then would I be able to truly confess with the Apostle Paul, “I have been
crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life
I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and
gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20 NIV)

So today, I
received revelation and each time condemnation began to attack me, I rehearsed
Romans 8:1 and praised God for it. I thought back on the things God has
already delivered me from and remembered the words of Mandisa, “I’m just ‘Unfinished’.”

I don’t know what
tomorrow will bring but right now I declare and believe, I’m on the right
path and I will remain there. I believe that I will go forth and declare the
words of the Lord. I will keep the faith and I will finish my course.

Please continue
to share this journey with me. Pray for me and I will pray for you. God is
about to show us some things that will blow our minds! Then others will see
and believe and proclaim the works of God and ponder what He has done. Do you
believe?

Thursday, March 9, 2017

I’ve
been sitting here now for nearly an hour with laptop at hand but nothing to say. There’s much on my mind and in my heart but
how do I communicate it in such a way that it will be received? Actually, do I
really want to communicate it at all
is probably a better question. Here are my thoughts...

I
had a friend to tell me some years ago that I was afraid of success. I thought
he was a lunatic but because of who he was and our relationship I never forgot
the words. I’ve prayed over them and allowed them some space in the back of my
mind all these years, wondering if he was right. I think in some ways he was.

In
my latest prayer covering this subject I asked God plainly, “What’s my problem?
Why can’t I move forward in my calling when I KNOW I can’t possibly go back?”
In response, I could almost see Him smile in my spirit – you know, one of those
patient smiles a parent has for a child that seems to finally be receiving a
truth that’s been spoken to them over and over again. In the end, it all boiled
down to faith.

I
realize it is impossible to please God without faith. He said so right there in
Hebrews 11:6. So really, what is faith? Most who are Bible believers know the
definition in Hebrews 11:1 (KJV) which states, “Now faith is the substance of
things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” I personally like the way
Dr. Tony Evans puts it. He says, “Faith is acting like something is so even
when it is not so in order that it might be so simply because God said so.”

What
has God told me is question one? The next question is am I acting like it is
so? Do I believe Him? My mind says yes, I believe Him. But my feet (actions)
are not acting like it is so. I’m wavering – or am I? I don’t know, but I hear
plainly and echo the heartfelt plea of the father in Mark 9:24 (NIV), “I do
believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

Precious Father, I come to you first recognizing
that you and you alone are God. You spoke the worlds into being and from dust
you formed man. You then took on flesh and redeemed man after he sinned against
you and for that I take the time to say thank you. I thank you that you are not
a man that you should lie nor the son of man that you should repent. If you
said it, you’ll do it; if you’ve spoken it you will make good. You have said in
the book of Philippians that even as you’ve begun a good work in me you will
complete it. I am who YOU say I am and I can do all that you have created me to
do through Christ. I believe this, Father. I believe you. Help me overcome my
unbelief. In Jesus’ name. Amen and amen.

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Note to the reader, this post is from my book "From The Shepherds Heart - A Devotional"

which can be purchased at https://www.amazon.com/Shepherds-Heart-Dutchess-Horton/dp/1619044404

One of my favorite passages of
scripture comes from Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) where God declares, “For I know the
plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give
you hope and a future.” It is a very
encouraging verse. It’s full of promise
and just a touch of mystery.

This verse says God knows the plan He
has for us. However, it does not say God
is going to tell us His plan. We are
told the end result only. The NIV says
hope and a future. The KJV says an
expected end. But neither version tells
us how God will get us to that future or expected end. God doesn’t share any of the details.

So what is one to do? We trust the hidden plan of God. More specifically, we trust God. I must admit that sometimes I hear a promise
or proposed end of a thing and I try to work out a plan of my own to get there
-- especially if God makes me wait and doesn’t make good His promise
immediately. We (I) have to trust God
enough to believe Him when he tells me He has a plan and allow Him to work His
plan without interference (suggestions) from me. My trying to help Him is essentially my
telling God He’s not capable of doing what He said He would do.

The only way we are going to receive
the promise of Jeremiah 29:11 (or any other promise of God) is by trusting the
one with the plan. God tells us in
Isaiah 55:11 that His words will not return to Him void but will prosper in the
thing He sent it -- it will accomplish what He says. And we know that He does not lie or repent --
if He said it He will do it; if he promised He will make good. (See Numbers
23:19) All that is required of us is to
trust in the hidden plan of God.

Father God, we know that you have plans for our
lives; plans to do us good and not harm; plans to give us hope and a determined
end. (Jeremiah 29:11) Help us, Father,
to trust in your plan. Help us to trust in you with all our heart and lean not
on our own understanding. Help us to
acknowledge you in all our ways and trust to you direct our path. (See Proverb
3:5-6) Even when it seems the words you
have spoken are slow to prosper, remind us that it will surely come and will
not tarry. (See Habakkuk 2:3) Give us
strength, Father God, and give us grace as we trust in your hidden plan.

Friday, September 2, 2016

I discovered this post while searching through some old files and felt it was the appropriate time to share. Anyone who is seeking to live for Christ will have some run ins with the accuser. Well sometimes, when he gets busy reminding us of our past, we have to remind him of his future! Read this letter to satan and maybe write one of your own. Be blessed! --Dutchess

There are so many things I have
to be thankful for. As I was sitting in my prayer closet with a list of
physical needs, the enemy tried to remind me that when God called to me this
morning at 5 a.m. I rolled over and went back to sleep. The enemy reminded me
that I got a little short tempered with my husband yesterday and that my house
STILL isn’t clean and “company ready”. He reminded me that I am always in some
sin, be it in word, thought, or deed and that I had a lot of nerve to think I
could go to a holy God and ask for anything.

But even as the enemy whispered
in one ear, the Holy Spirit was whispering in the other reminding me that I am
the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus. He reminded that I am chosen,
adopted, and beloved by the very God the enemy told me I had no right to
approach. The Holy Spirit reminded me that my Father has commanded me through
His word to cast all my cares upon Him; to be anxious for nothing but in all
things through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving to make my request
known to Him; to ask, seek, and knock. The Holy Spirit reminded me that all I
have to do is to come before my God and remember that I am covered in the blood
of Christ and that in Him I am worthy.

So as I look at my physical
situations and needs, and there are many, I can rest in my Savior’s hand and in
His promises – not because I’m worthy or I’ve done all He has asked me to
do. All that the enemy accused me of was
true. I have fallen short and will continue to fall short. But I come to my
Father not in my own righteousness but in the righteousness of Christ. I come
to my Father, fully expecting Him to answer my prayers not because I’m so good
but because He is good. I come to my Father and boldly ask what I will, again
fully expecting to receive it, not because I’ve been faithful but because He is
faithful.

My God has promised to supply all
my needs according to His riches in glory. He’s promised that if I delight in
Him, He will give me the desires of my heart. He’s promised that as I walk
upright before Him, no good thing will He withhold from me. My God has assured
me that if I seek FIRST His kingdom and His righteousness, all other things
will be added unto me. There are so many promises my God has made to me and
because He is not a man that He should lie nor the son of man that He should
repent, I believe Him. Because His word
will not return to Him void but will accomplish all that He sends it out to do,
I trust Him.

So Satan, yes I am a sinner but I've been saved by
grace. I sin and fall short of the glory of God. But praise be to God, it’s not
all about me. In fact, it’s not about me at all. It’s about Christ and the
sacrifice He made on an old rugged tree a couple thousand years ago. It’s about
the one who defeated you, Satan. It’s all about Jesus and that is why I will
continue to go into my secret prayer closet and tell my Father all that I need.
Because of the finished work of Jesus, I will never stop praying and never stop
believing. I will trust in the Lord and never doubt.

Saturday, August 20, 2016

For
some time now it has been on my heart to share my testimony here but for
reasons I dare not try to explain, I waited. Now I’m certain now it’s
time. I don’t know who it’s for but I trust you will find these words at just
the proper time and it will encourage your soul and strengthen your faith in
The Father – no matter how your circumstances work out.

I
am the mother of two beautiful teenage girls, 19 and 14. I am also the mother
of 8 others, sex unknown, who were never held in my arms but went straight to
the bosom of Christ. When I had my first miscarriage, I allowed the enemy to
make me think the baby’s death was punishment from God because he’d been
conceived in sin. (You will notice that I refer to all of my rainbow babies –
babies of miscarriage or still birth – as boys.) That’s another story all
together but I no longer believe that lie.
Children are a gift from God and conceived in or out of His perfect
plan, He loves them and would not allow their demise just because of the way
they were conceived. The other 7 I lost were conceived within marriage so that
settles that matter.

For
the most part, each pregnancy that ended in miscarriage was normal and
uneventful. The one I’m about to share does not fall into that “most part”
category. It’s funny that I can’t remember the year but I know it was a Super
Bowl Sunday because I left my husband watching the game and drove myself to the
emergency room. The discomfort I felt probably could have waited until the
following day, but I figured after Super Bowl there would be a rush in the
doctor’s office on Monday and didn’t want to take a chance – but I digress.

I
went in complaining of bloating. Like I said, it was basic discomfort. When I was
checked-in, the nurse had trouble getting my blood pressure so the doctor came in
to try it. That should have been a red flag but I didn’t catch it. Finally, the
doctor pulled me aside and told me I didn’t have a blood pressure. Still not
getting what he was saying I told him I tend to be anemic. He finally said,
very calmly I might add, “No, Mrs. Horton. You don’t have any blood pressure.
You have the blood pressure of a dead man. This has nothing to do with anemia.”
Still not catching the significance of what he was saying I simply replied, “Okay.”

He
sat me down and continued to calmly question me:

Doc:
“Do you feel dizzy?”

Me:
“No.”

Doc:
“Do you feel unusually tired or weak?”

Me:
“No.”

Doc:
“Maybe I should speak with your husband. Is he in the waiting room?”

Me:
“No.”

Doc:
“Who drove you here? Can I speak to them?”

Me:
“No, I drove myself.”

Doc:
(Not so calmly this time.) “What!?!”

Me:
“I drove. I only needed help passing gas so I drove myself while my husband is
watching the game.”

Doc:
“Please wait here. And remain sitting if you would.”

I’m
still not getting what the big deal was. I had gas, the pressure had eased up
and now I just wanted to get home before the big game ended and the drunks left
the bars. After several minutes the ER
doctor returned and told me he’d spoken with my obstetrician (OB). Though it was against his better judgement,
he was sending me home but I was to return first thing in the morning to see my
OB. He again made sure I felt fine and saw me to the door after I assured him I
was feeling better.

I
got up the next morning and went to my OB, still clueless as to why a bout of
gas would cause such an uproar. Instead
of having my vitals checked by a nurse and sitting in the waiting room, I was
immediately ushered into my doctor’s office. I’m thinking to myself, “Sweet, no
waiting room or sterile exam room.” Still clueless. My doctor tells me to have a seat and lets me
know the ER doctor was quite concerned as was he. He asked how I felt and had
anything different been going on along with several other seemingly unimportant
questions. I assured him I was fine. I’d
felt bloated but that had eased up.

Finally,
he explained, “Mrs. Horton, according to the readings you had in the emergency
room last night, I’m looking at a dead woman.” “Huh, what?!” “I’m going to
recheck but I’m certain I know what’s going on. What I don’t know is how long
it’s been going on or how you’ve managed to survive.” Now I’m finally getting a clue. He rechecked my pulse and vitals, and apart
from the no blood pressure thing, I was fine.
He then explained it was almost certain I’d lost the baby but he wouldn’t
rule anything out because again, I’m a dead woman walking. I was taken for an
ultrasound - nothing.

When
I say nothing, I mean they could see nothing. My abdomen was a wall of darkness
– all black and no light at all. My baby was dead, and unless they did
something quickly, I would be too.
Somehow I managed to keep it together (or at least I think I did because
I’m kind of losing it now.) But my doctor went on to explain that they would do
a laparoscopy to see exactly what they were dealing with. If it confirmed what
he thought to be internal bleeding, they would then go into an emergency Cesarean
Section and repair what they could. Before he could go on with his explanation
I remember blurting, “I don’t want a blood transfusion!” At the time, it was
not being properly screened for HIV and I didn’t want to take a chance. I told
him if God saw fit to keep me this long, He’d see me through surgery. Unless my
heart began to stop, no transfusion and I made him promise. He shook his head but agreed.

I
then told him I needed to make two phone calls. I called my husband and briefly
told him I was about to go into emergency surgery. No I didn’t feel he needed
to be there but would he kindly bring me my Bible and my toothbrush. I was
going to be staying awhile. I gave him a brief rundown of the situation but we’d
been down this path before and handled it very differently. He’d not yet
accepted Christ and though I knew he wanted this child, he shut down in order
to cope. I didn’t push – I just prayed. (By the way, He is now a true man of
God – HALLELUJAH!) My second phone call was to my girlfriend Debra, a mighty
woman of God and a prayer warrior. She was at work but that didn’t matter. I
told her, “Debra, they’re taking me into emergency surgery. I lost the baby.
Please pray.” And pray she did, right there in the commander’s office she let
the Spirit have His way as she went into intercession. When she hung up even my
doctor was in tears.

When
I awoke, my husband was there. Though he didn’t stay long, he wanted to be sure
I was okay. I lied and told him yes because I wanted him to be okay. He sat
with me a few minutes (which was a miracle in itself since he hated doctors and
hospitals), gave me my Bible and my toothbrush, kissed me, told me he loved me
and went home. The doctor came in later and told me someone up there really
likes me. I’d had an ectopic or tubal pregnancy meaning the embryo, my baby,
had attached himself in my fallopian tube instead of in the uterus. As he grew,
the tube ruptured. Based on the age of my “son”, I’d been slowing bleeding
internally for about two weeks.

So
you see, I believe in miracles because I am one. This testimony is one of many
that I have witnessed in my life. I won’t tell you about my mother who twenty
years ago was given two months to live. I won’t tell you about pulling my
little Toyota Corolla into the path of a fully loaded, speeding 18 wheeler
truck only to have my angel push me back out of its path just as it should have
hit me. I won’t even tell you about missing a bear that stood as tall as the
hood of my minivan while on all fours when all reason said that not only should
I have hit him at 57 mph but that I did hit him – yet not even a hair was on my
vehicle. I won’t tell you about all of those miracles, but I could.

God
is not dead and He still cares for His people. I don’t care what circumstances
say. So I don’t care what kind of miracle you stand in need of, KNOW God loves you
with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). KNOW God will never leave nor forsake
you (Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5). He tells us Heaven and Earth will pass
away but His Word will never fail (Matthew 24:35). He will not and cannot lie
(Numbers 23:19). So I say to you, whatever you may be facing today, big or
small, God cares (Psalm 139, 1 Peter 5:7). Look to Him and TRUST Him. His truth always overrules our circumstances.

I
would love to pray for you. Leave a comment here or send a message via Facebook
-

About Me

I'm an Air Force veteran and a born and bred Carolina girl. I've been blessed to live in South Korea, Germany, Georgia (USA), Illinois (USA), and of course both of the Carolinas (USA). I'm married and have 2 beautiful daughters still with me. I'm a daughter, sister, church secretary, Christian speaker and author, and a new blogger. I'm walking in faith on purpose into my purpose...